forest score: Clemson advanced in the ACC Tournament with a 71-62 win over Wake Forest on Wednesday at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, riding a hot first half that produced nine 3-pointers. The victory was undercut when starting forward Carter Welling left the game at halftime after grabbing his right knee and did not return. Clemson now prepares to face North Carolina next while early March projections list the Tigers as a projected No. 9 seed in NCAA Tournament forecasts.
Forest Score and game turning points
Clemson built a 41-23 halftime lead after shooting 50 percent from the field (16 of 32) in the first half and hitting a season-high nine first-half 3-pointers. The Tigers held Wake Forest to 36 percent shooting in that opening frame and enjoyed a 19-15 rebounding edge. Clemson led by as many as 20 before Wake Forest mounted a late push, outscoring the Tigers 39-30 in the second half and cutting the margin to single digits at one point. The forest score line, 71-62, reflects the Tigers’ dominant start and Wake Forest’s stronger finish.
Key players, injuries and projections
RJ Godfrey finished with 11 points and eight rebounds to lead the Tigers. Freshman Chase Thompson added nine points and three rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench, while Butta Johnson, Davidson, Ace Buckner and Dillon Hunter each finished with eight points. Freshman forward Dallas Thomas had six points at halftime while playing in his 19th game. The biggest concern for Clemson was Carter Welling, who went down after a layup attempt near the end of the first half, clearly in pain and needing help to walk off; he was ruled out for the rest of the game at halftime and did not return.
Joe Lunardi, college basketball prognosticator, projects Clemson as a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament and pairs the Tigers with Utah State in a first-round matchup in the Midwest Region in Buffalo in his latest bracket update. If Clemson wins its first-round game in that projection, Lunardi pairs the Tigers against one of his projected No. 1 seeds: coach Dusty May’s Michigan Wolverines in the second round. Analysts Matthew Glenesk and Erick Smith also list Clemson as a No. 9 seed in their March Madness forecast, with a first-round path set against an No. 8 seed opponent in one of their scenarios.
What comes next
Clemson will meet No. 4 seed North Carolina in Charlotte next; the two teams played recently in a tight regular-season game that North Carolina won 67-63, and a win in this matchup would send the Tigers to the ACC Tournament semifinal. The immediate focus for Clemson is both on game preparation for North Carolina and on the status of Carter Welling’s right knee after he exited at halftime. Bracket implications remain in play: a deep run in the conference tournament could improve Clemson’s standing ahead of Selection Sunday, while the current March projections keep the Tigers in the projected No. 9 seed range.
The forest score here is more than a final number; it maps a path for Clemson that now balances an ACC Tournament push with urgent medical updates and NCAA seeding questions as the field takes shape.
